Dining In, Dining Out/Style Desk

Ferran Adrià, the 42-year-old Catalan chef, has set for himself perhaps an even grander goal than perfecting liquid ravioli or vegetable juice bubble bath: the transformation of fast food into good food.

Dining In, Dining Out/Style Desk

This was El Bulli. This was the Michelin three-star restaurant everyone was talking about. The one that six top American chefs would all flock to this same week and the next, not for an event but on a pilgrimage. The one where the chef, Ferran Adria, is rarely referred to as a chef, but as a mad scientist, a genius, a Dali of the kitchen.

{"type":"article","show_header_text":false,"header":"ARTICLES ABOUT FERRAN ADRI\u00c0","query":"(per=\"ADRIA, FERRAN\" or (body=\"Ferran Adria\" and (des=\"COOKING AND COOKBOOKS\" or des=\"RESTAURANTS\"))) and tom!=\"Caption\" and tom!=\"Correction\" and tom!=\"List\" and tom!=\"Paid Death Notice\" and dsk!=\"Society\"","search_query":"(persons:\"ADRIA, FERRAN\" OR (body:\"Ferran Adria\" AND (subject:\"COOKING AND COOKBOOKS\" OR subject:\"RESTAURANTS\"))) AND -type_of_material:\"Caption\" AND -type_of_material:\"Correction\" AND -type_of_material:\"List\" AND -type_of_material:\"Paid Death Notice\" AND -news_desk:\"Society\"","num_search_articles":"15","show_summary":true,"show_byline":true,"show_pub_date":true,"hide_thumbnails":false,"show_kicker":false,"show_title":false,"show_related_topics":true,"show_rad_links":true,"show_subtopics":true,"exclude_topics":"ADRIA, FERRAN","exclude":["","","","","","","",""],"more_on_header":"MORE ON FERRAN ADRI\u00c0 AND:","alternate_index_subidx":"","show_thumbnails":true}

July 23, 2014, Wednesday

One of only two women chefs named to the 2014 World’s 50 Best Restaurants list announced yesterday, Elena Arzak is a pioneering force in Spanish cooking, mixing modern innovation with a deep commitment to her region’s traditions.

Multimedia

Nathan Myhrvold, the Mad Hatter of modernist cooking, invited the movement’s leading chef, Ferran Adrià, over for a 50-course, lab-prepared meal. It was a lot to digest, sure, but what does a feast like this mean for the future of eating?